Hydroplane
by Rainnboots
Summary: Hydroplane, verb; To be or go out of control by skimming along the surface of a wet road. Used of a motor vehicle. On his way home one night, Carlos quickly learns how easy it is to lose control of a car.


**Author's Note:** Time once again for another tale of the two youngest Garcia's. This idea popped into my head yesterday after I randomly thought of the term "hydroplaning." This story includes my OC, Gabe, Carlos' six-year-older brother from my story "_Finding My Religion_." You needn't have read it to understand any of this story, though (but feel free to check it out anyways). That's all the notes I have for the day; enjoy, and **_PLEASE REVIEW!_**

**Dislcaimer:** Any recognizable names and/or places are the property of their respective owners.

**Warnings: **Very, very brief language.

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><p>Gabe picked up an apple from the pile on cushion beside him, running his thumbs over the skin to clear away some of the couch fuzzies that were clinging to it. He licked a bit of apple juice from his finger and adjusted his hold on the small knife in his hand, beginning to slice and peel the apple into the bowl — already half-full with the remnants of apples Gabe had already consumed — on his lap as commercials played across the TV screen.<p>

"Ooh, apples," said Carlos, taking a freshly peeled sliced from the bowl. He eyed the piles of apples next to his brother. "_Lots_ of apples."

"Had a hankering," Gabe said nonchalantly, still peeling. He stabbed a slice from the bowl with his kinfe and moved it to his mouth, looking up at his brother.

"Hot date?" Gabe asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, I'm going to Kendall's," said Carlos, picking up another slice. "Have you seen my phone?"

Gabe moved his eyes towards the cushion beside him for a moment, nodding his head in the same direction. "Played some games on it earlier. You're probably gonna want to charge your battery tonight."

Carlos rolled his eyes, swiping his phone from the cushion, then leaned his thigh against the armrest. "Hey, can I take your car tonight?"

Gabe let out a light groan as he grabbed an apple slice from the bowl in his lap, lifting his eyes towards Carlos. "Why don't you take Dad's?"

"Because your car's blocking the driveway, and it'd be a waste of time and gas to move yours, back his out, and then pull yours into the garage. Come on, you know I'm a good driver. I got a higher score on the driving test than you did."

"Two points!" said Gabe, holding up two fingers. "On the written test; you know I don't test well."

"_Still_," said Carlos. "Please? I'll be careful."

Gabe sighed, changing the channel. "Fine, but be careful. If I see any scratches on my car when you get back, I'll—"

"'Pummel you into a billion little pieces,'" Carlos finished, walking into the kitchen. "I know, I know. Thanks, Gabe."

"No prob," said Gabe. He turned on the couch, looking over the back. "But really, be careful, okay? The road's are slippery."

"Got it," said Carlos, pulling Gabe's keychain off the rack by the door, along with his jacket. He waved once at his brother. "See you later, Gabe!"

"Hey, Carlos, wait! Can you get me the peanut butter?" Gabe shouted, but Carlos was already out the door. Gabe sighed, looking over at the apples.

"Looks like it's just you and me tonight, Ladies. Let's see what's on the tube, shall we?" Gabe hummed as he flipped through the channels. "Dude!" he exclaimed, stabbing another apple slice and biting off half. "I love this movie!"

* * *

><p>"Gin," said Kim, laying down her cards face up on the table.<p>

"Are you kidding me!" said Kendall, throwing down his cards.

"Dude," said Carlos, looking at Kendall in disbelief. "How does your mom always win Three-Man Gin?"

"Have to pass the time between meals somehow," said Kim, pushing herself up from the table. "Restaurants aren't always busy, you know."

"Unbelievable," mumbled Kendall, shaking his head as he picked up his mother's cards and examined them.

"You have your dad's luck at cards. He never could win a hand," said Kim, pulling a bag of bread from the pantry. "You boys want a sandwich?"

"Peanut butter and honey?" said Kendall, eyebrows raised expectantly. "With the crust cut off?"

"Sure; I'll cut it into a heart and stick a note in your lunchbox, too," Kim smiled. Carlos laughed loudly, ducking his head to avoid Kendall's swatting hand.

"Kendall, your mom's hilarious," said Carlos, gathering up all the cards.

"A real riot," said Kendall, rolling his eyes.

"Carlos? You want a sandwich, too?" asked Kim.

"No thanks, I should probably be getting home," said Carlos, pushing the cards back into their box. He grabbed his keys from the table and his jacket from the back of the chair.

"Do you and Gabe want to come over for dinner tomorrow? I'm making chicken and rice casserole," said Kim. Carlos gasped.

"You mean the one with the broccoli?"

"The very one."

"Yes, please," said Carlos, pushing his arms into his jacket and smiling.

"Setting the table at seven," said Kim.

"We'll be here." Carlos leaned over the counter, feet temporarily leaving the ground as he kissed Kim's cheek. "See you later, Mrs. Knight."

"Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you, too. Bye Kendall," said Carlos, raising his hand as he left the kitchen. As he passed the stairs, he called up, "Bye Katie! I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Carlos jogged out to the car, sliding inside and turning on the ignition. He idled in the driveway for a moment, letting the car heat up before backing out the driveway.

The roads back home were even more slick they had when Carlos had first driven to Kendall's house. As the temperature dropped, the melted snow left on the road began to harden, freezing almost invisibly over the black top.

Carlos took a careful turn, glancing down to change the radio staion with the pre-set buttons. The road seemed sturdy enough, he thought to himself. And they were always careful to plow this road; it got a lot of traffic most days. He could speed up a mile or two.

No sooner had Carlos pressed down on the accelerator did he feel the tires swerve beneath him, car jerking to the left. His heart lept into his throat and his grip grew white-knuckled on the steering wheel, foot slamming onto the brake. The tires swerved again and he felt the car sliding, the car running horizontal along the asphalt. Carlos desperate tried to regain control of the car, but it kept sliding, the car now passing across the lane beside him, pushing closer and closer to the shoulder and dense trees that lined the road. His keys were knocking madly against the steering column, the sound nearly drowned out by the sound of the blood pulsing in his ears. Carlos squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for impact.

And then he crashed.

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><p>Gabe looked up from the skillet full of eggs he was cooking as his phone vibrated on the counter. He reached over, twisting it right-side-up, and glanced at the screen; Carlos. He smirked, pressing the phone to his ear as he moved back to the stove.<p>

"Carlos Miguel Garcia," Gabe began, his tone mockingly stern. He leaned his ear to his shoulder, trapping the phone there. "Do you have _any_ idea what time it is?"

_"Gabe?"_

"Well duh," said Gabe, picking up the skillet, swirling the eggs around inside. "Who else would answer my phone?"

_"Sorry, I'm just.."_ Carlos let out a breath. _"Um, could you come get me?"_

"Get you?" asked Gabe, flipping his eggs through the air. They landed back on the skillet with a _plop_. "From where, Kendall's house?"

_"No."_ Gabe heard his brother swallow._ "I'm at the hospital."_

Gabe froze, skillet still in his hand, eggs sizzling. He felt his heart pick up, the hair covering his arms and the back of his neck standing up, heat pricking his cheeks. "What? Why? What happened? Are you okay? Which hospital?"

_"I'm at Mercy General,"_ said Carlos. _"You know, the one with the big cross on the side?"_

"Yeah, yeah," Gabe set the skillet back down, eggs now long forgotten, and shifted his phone to his hand. "Okay. Are you there by yourself? Do you need anything from the house?"

_"Yes, and no."_

"I'll be right down," said Gabe, running to the couch and grabbing his zip-up. He switched his phone to his other ear, slipping his arms inside the fleece. Gabe was half-way out the door before he remembered the stove. He rushed back in, quickly turning the knob to OFF, then moved back out the garage. "Fast as I can manage," Gabe assured Carlos.

_"Alright."_

Gabe started the car then looked over his shoulder as the garage door opened, quickly backing down the driveway. "Ten minutes tops, okay? I promise."

Gabe heard his brother sniff loudly. _"Okay."_

With a tug in his heart Gabe hung up, pulling his seatbelt across his chest and starting down the street.

* * *

><p>True to his word, Gabe reached the hospital in ten minutes flat, slipping twice in the parking lot in his haste to get to the building.<p>

Gabe glanced around the hospital, pulse beating in his neck as he made his way to the nurses station. The receptionist, a tiny girl with bright red hair, so small she could practically sit in the palm of Gabe's hand, looked up as he approached.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked, smiling.

"I'm looking for my brother," said Gabe, slightly breathless. "His name's Carlos Garcia. I-I don't..." Gabe shook his head, a wave of panic hitting him; what had happened to Carlos. "I don't know what happened to him."

The nurse typed a few things in on her computer, making light popping noises with her lips as she looked at the screen. "Carlos Miguel Garcia, age sixteen?"

Gabe felt his heart skip. "Yeah, that's him."

"He's down that hall, in room two twenty-two," she said, rising from her chair and pointing to her left. "The door should be on the left."

Gabe took off, calling out a thank you over his shoulder as he went. He glanced at the numbers next to the doors as he passed, nearly slipping from the melted snow on his shoes. Right as he was about to turn the corner, Gabe found the room the nurse had pointed him too. He grabbed the handle and pushed inward.

The room was small, filled with only one small examination table and shelves full of assorted medical equipment. Carlos was seated on the table, one hand resting against the edge, the other set in his lap, a white cast covering the skin from his elbow down. There was a small hole on the sleeve of his shirt; a rip, as if it'd been run through with something sharp. His head was down and his legs were swinging in the empty space beneath the table.

Carlos looked up as he heard the door creak open. His shoulders tensed at the sight of his brother.

"I'm sorry," said Carlos quickly. Tears sprung to his eyes, a sob trapped in his chest. "I was leaving Kendall's house and I was trying to be really careful but there was this slushy patch of road and I lost control of the car and it just hit this tree and—"

Gabe quickly crossed the room, pulling Carlos into a tight hug. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

"I'm sorry," Carlos repeated. "I didn't mean to wreck your car. I'm so sorry."

"Jesus Christ, Carlos, I don't care about the car," said Gabe, his tone clipped. He let out a shaky breath, swallowing to relieve the tightness in his throat. "I couldn't care less about the damn thing right now."

Carlos wrapped his uninjured arm around Gabe's back, turning his head to rest against Gabe's shoulder. Gabe pulled back after a moment, setting his hands on either side of Carlos' face. His cheek and neck were splattered with tiny cuts, as if bits of glass had blown past his face. A butterfly bandage was on the left side of his forehead, just below his hairline, and a small cut ran down his jaw, a purple-y bruise blooming on his right cheekbone.

"You're okay?" said Gabe. "What'd the doctor say?"

"Broke my arm and got a little whiplash, but I'm fine," said Carlos.

"You're sure?" Gabe asked, rubbing his thumb against a spot of dry blood by Carlos' ear. Carlos nodded. "No concussions or anything?"

"Nope."

Gabe's eyes moved to Carlos' and he let out a breath, shoulders sagging slightly.

"I'm really glad you're okay," Gabe said quietly. Carlos smiled weakly.

"Me, too," he said.

"Let's go home," said Gabe, dropping his hands, taking a step back so Carlos to get down from the bed. Carlos braced his hand against the bed, sliding off the edge, wincing slightly as his feet met the floor. Gabe's hand went to Carlos' shoulder and chest, bending his head down slightly to level himself with Carlos.

"You okay?" Gabe asked quickly.

"Yeah," said Carlos, grimacing slightly. "Just sore."

"Can you walk?"

Carlos nodded, straightening his shoulders and taking a limping step. Gabe set a hand on Carlos' back, leading him out the door and down the hall. After checking Carlos out, Gabe pulled the car around and Carlos climbed inside, a rush of cold air filling the cabin as he did so. Carlos zipped up his jacket and pulled up the hood. As they pulled onto the highway, Carlos tapped his fingertip against the middle console of the car. He chewed on the inside of his lip, shifting his legs.

"Did you call Mom and Dad?" Carlos asked. Gabe shook his head.

"Can we not tell them what happened?" asked Carlos. Gabe looked over, furrowing his eyebrows slightly, and Carlos continued hastily. "I mean, I'm gonna tell them, just not right now. I don't want them to get upset or worried when they're on vacation, is all," said Carlos. "I'll tell them when they get back, I promise, but—"

"It's okay, dude," said Gabe. "I won't tell them if you don't want me to."

Carlos let out a breath. "Thanks."

Gabe nodded. He looked over at Carlos, picking at the thumb that was sticking out of his cast. He touched Carlos's arm. "Carlos?"

"I didn't even realize it was possible to think that fast," Carlos admitted. "One second I was thinking about driving, then I started skidding and I started thinking about all the stuff Papí's always told us about driving in this kind of weather and controlling the car, and then I was wondering how bad it was all going to hurt, and then I think I prayed..."

Carlos pulled off a bit of skin hanging off the edge of his thumb, looking out the window. As the car slowed, taking an exit, Gabe reached over and gently pulled Carlos' hand away from its pair. Carlos ran his hand along his thigh and shook his head.

"I don't ever want to be that scared again," he said quietly.

Gabe gripped the steering wheel tightly for a moment, driving through an intersection. "Me either."

* * *

><p>The garage door clunked down behind them and Gabe moved to the passenger side of the car, pulling open the door for his brother. He held his hand out, Carlos grabbing it to steady himself, and stepped out of the car. He hissed slightly as he straightened up, hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck.<p>

"Come on," said Gabe, opening the door that lead to the kitchen. "Get on the couch and I'll get you some painkillers."

Gabe moved through the kitchen, pulling out a bottle from the medicine cabinet and shaking out three white tablets into his palm. He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and a bag of frozen blueberries from the freezer, pulling a dish rag off the hook above the sink.

"Take these," said Gabe, dropping the pills into Carlos' palm. Gabe wrapped the rag around the blueberries, setting them on Carlos' shoulder. Carlos tensed at the unexpected chill, water nearly spurting from his mouth. He choked for a moment.

"Thanks for the heads up," said Carlos, wiping his mouth.

"Oh yeah, I got you something for your neck," said Gabe, walking back to the kitchen to hang up his sweatshirt. He moved back to the couch and took a seat, looking over at his brother. His eyes caught the small scar on Carlos' cheek from the time when Kendall accidentally whacked him in the face with a hockey stick. On his ear, a tiny, unfading scratch from Gabe's old dog Sparky. On his chin, a small mole. Relief swept over Gabe; Carlos was right there, in front of him, whole and alive. He let out a breath.

"Thanks for picking me up," said Carlos, looking over Gabe.

"I'm your big brother," Gabe shrugged. "It's my job."

"Still..." said Carlos. "Thank you."

Gabe reached over, setting his hand on the top of Carlos' head, ruffling his hair. "You're welcome, _perrito_."

"I'm not a puppy, _viejito._"

Gabe smiled. "Love you too, bro."

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><p>Reviews? Anyone? Anyone? ...Bueller?<p> 


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